50th Anniversary of the Human Rights Act

Explore New Brunswick’s human rights legacy

New Brunswick has a proud legacy of recognizing and defending human rights. Our roots feed from the rich traditions and values of the First Nations and our farming, fishing, forestry and mining communities. New Brunswickers share a history of being there for neighbours and respecting the dignity and humanity of others.

Society’s understanding of each other’s rights has evolved over the years, and New Brunswick has played an important part in recognizing and protecting human rights. Following the horrors of World War II, a New Brunswicker—John Peters Humphrey—drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In 1967, the New Brunswick Human Rights Act was implemented in response to concerns about racism and discrimination. Also in 1967, the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission was created to administer the Act.

The year 2017 marked the 50th anniversary of the Act and 50 years of the Commission’s work welcoming and resolving complaints of discrimination under the Act. Since 1967, those protections have expanded as New Brunswick society has evolved and demanded ever broader protections from discrimination.

Take a few minutes to explore this page to discover our province’s rich human-rights legacy, based entirely on the simple principle that all human beings are equal in dignity and rights.